Author's Note: I'm going to try and do author notes from this point forward. This chapter is a bit  longer than the others (a little over 7,000). They'll probably be a bit longer from this point forward, so hopefully that works! If people prefer shorter chapters, I may try to break one chapter into multiple ones. Anyway, we're headed to Trask now, right before the beginning of Season 2, Episode 3, The Heiress.

Hope you enjoy!

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 After the near-death experience that day, and finally being able to get off of the frozen planet, Din had suggested (Y/N) get some sleep. He claimed he need to stay up and make sure the Razor Crest held together. She would've had offered staying up with him, but could barely keep her eyes open by the time they made it out of there.

 So, wishing everyone a good night, she trudged over to the ladder and climbed down, carrying the kid with her in her other arm. She gently set him in his hammock, and they both drifted off. Din waited around half an hour before pulling out (Y/N)'s knife.

The Frog Lady had also fallen asleep, so as far as Din was concerned, he was by himself. He didn't like the way his hands shook as he held it in his hands. Even if he tried to tell himself that what he was doing wasn't a big deal, truly, it was. Din had never considered doing this for anyone before, absolutely no one. And, deep down, he feared that he had read the situation wrong, (Y/N) would reject him, and there would this weird distance between the two of them.

He was just worried he'd end up ruining the strong friendship they had already. But still, he sat there, holding the knife in his had. He remembered when he had brought it back after finishing a job, thinking that (Y/N) might like the style of it. It had become a habit of his to bring back various gifts to her after he finished working for a client. He didn't know why or when it started, it just, well, started.

But now, the knife he brought her held so much more significance. It felt right. Yes, it felt right. So, once again, why exactly was he so nervous about it?

He knew why.

He feared he would chase her away.

Because, deep down, he wondered why she would choose to travel with him. The adventure so far had hardly been smooth sailing after all, the three of them tossed into various forms of danger and chaos. When Din had considered himself simply a bounty hunter, danger was just something he had to face, had to deal with. It hadn't been a big deal to him, because it had only been him.

That was before (Y/N) and the kid showed up. Now, now it was different. He wanted to keep (Y/N) safe. He wanted to keep the kid safe. He could hardly imagine not having either of them around at this point. It almost pained him to think about it.

As he took out a cloth to begin polishing the knife, he thought about what (Y/N) had said when they were stranded in the snow and ice. She'd been covered in tiny flakes of snow while she helped him with the mess of wires in front of them.

"I would give up every chance of becoming a Jedi to be with you."

Even as they sat there, not knowing for certain if they would make it out or not, she told him she didn't regret coming with him. So, in reality he shouldn't have been so nervous about it. It must been the meaning behind it.

He sat there, carving into the hilt with his own knife...carving the mudhorn into the hilt of it.

He had to stop a couple of times, his hands too shaky, before continuing. Things didn't get to him, not like this. But right now, it clearly was. He leaned back in the pilot's seat, staring through the viewport at the passing stars.

This was ridiculous...

He shook his head before returning to working on the knife. There were a couple of things the knife was a symbol of, or at least, became a symbol of when he re-gifted to her.

At this point, it was simply impossible to deny the fact that (Y/N) was part of their clan. In fact, before the kid came along, it had been the two of them. Since one fateful day at that bar, he had continued to come back and visit her. At first, he hadn't quite registered why he did it, but now, sitting in the cockpit of the Razor Crest, it made sense to him.

The truth terrified him.

He had never felt this strong about a person before.

He had friends, yes, but this type of feeling was different.

There was another meaning tied to presenting someone with a weapon with their sigil on it. It was a sign of courting as well. And he knew that. That was the part that made him nervous. He had a strong feeling that (Y/N) would accept joining his clan, but the courting part?

He finished working on it, brushing it off and making sure to polish it again, then held it up to double-check his work.

There were many things, it turned out, that Din wasn't sure of. But there was one thing, definitely one thing he was sure about.

And it was that (Y/N) belonged in his clan.

***

(Y/N) couldn't help but wonder why Din wanted to polish the knife for her. She could easily do it herself, and typically did. Though, in fairness, she hadn't polished it in a while, so if he wanted to, she didn't see why not. Still, she was mildly curious.

They were currently in the process of heading toward the Outer Rim moon, Trask, the destination they originally set out for. She could tell the Frog Lady was growing more anxious the closer they got, foot tapping against the floor of the cockpit.

(Y/N) had only woken up a few minutes prior, both her and the child sitting in the seat to the right of Din. He seemed slightly more tense since she had entered the cockpit, but she had no idea why. She knew she hadn't done anything, and Din hadn't done anything, so why did he almost seem nervous?

The hand not holding onto the kid sat over the arm rest, her fingers drumming a bit restlessly. She had slept well, no alarms being set off this time around, much to her relief. Still, she couldn't seem to take her eyes off of Din, trying to figure out why he appeared, well, uneasy, nervous...fidgety.

The more time she spent dwelling on it, the heavier her eyes grew again. She leaned back in her seat.

Then again, just as she was about to drift off in her seat again, Din's voice snapped her out of her daze.

"Looks like we made it," Din said, cursing under his breath as alarms started to go off again. "Get ready for a landing."

(Y/N) watched in mild concern as he tried various switches, but when nothing happened, he hit the panel. The Frog Lady croaked next to them in question.

"Dank farrik," he hissed, fiddling with more switches. "The landing array isn't responding. Without the guidance system, it'll be a manual re-entry."

(Y/N)'s ears rang as she looked up at the screen. It displayed some sort of message that she couldn't make out, but judging by the fact that it was written in red, and judging by the alarms going off, it certainly couldn't be good. The Razor Crest began to shake, and (Y/N) held on tighter to the child in her lap.

"It might get choppy," Din warned. "Once we're through the atmosphere, there should be enough fuel to slow us down." He went quiet for a moment before muttering, "If we don't burn to a crisp."

"I'm sorry, if we don't what?" (Y/N) deadpanned before Din pulled up, the ship falling toward the planet, flames enveloping the outside of the Razor Crest.

(Y/N) was less concerned about the falling ship and more so the fire that surrounded them. The kid seemed to be having a fairly good time though, tiny hands lifted into the air. Frankly, she would have found it endearing, but considering the circumstances of which they were in, it was certainly hard to.

Din grunted, switching the alarms off. "Come up here, I need your hands!"

(Y/N) immediately stood up, setting the kid down in her chair. She noticed the Frog Lady about to stand up herself, but (Y/N) smiled at her and shook her head.

"It's okay, I've got this."

She turned back, clumsily moving herself up to the console and positioning herself next to Din. He glanced at her briefly before nodding toward a lever next to her.

"This lever needs to stay back. Can you do that?"

(Y/N) nodded, and Din returned to steering the ship while she rested her hands on the lever, planting her feet as she pulled back on it.

"Keep it steady," he muttered.

(Y/N) glanced at him out of her peripheries. "Are you telling me that or telling yourself that?" There was a teasing smile on her face as she kept a hold onto the lever, hearing a faint scoff to her left.

Her eyes briefly landed on the dancing flames outside of the viewport, and then, she shut her eyes, taking a deep breath as she tightened her hold on the lever.

A woman's voice came over the comm. "Razor Crest, this is Trask flight control. Please reduce your speed to port protocol."

(Y/N) groaned, rolling her eyes, her hands beginning to hurt as she continued holding onto the lever.

"I'm trying my best here." Din almost sounded nervous, but he was most certainly exasperated. "Engage reverse thrusters." He glanced at the kid and then the Frog Lady. "Brace!"

(Y/N), finding new strength as she gripped the lever with one hand, reached out to help the Frog Lady steady her container with the other. The Frog Lady croaked in response, reaching out to place her other hand on (Y/N)'s. She smiled briefly before the chaos resumed.

Din glanced quickly at (Y/N) this time. "Hold on."

"Don't have to tell me twice," she muttered.

"Razor Crest, do you copy? You have to reduce speed."

"Almost there, almost there," Din said under his breath.

The display switched from red to green, so (Y/N) supposed that was at least a good sign. She took another deep breath.

"Razor Crest, you're coming in too fast. You have to re—" Din flipped a switch, and the voice cut off.

The ship slowed down, the landing pad just below them. (Y/N) exhaled, feeling a rush of relief. They didn't burn to a crisp, they were alright. She slowly released the lever, completely letting go when it remained in place.

"Nice and easy," Din said to himself.

Just as (Y/N) let go of the Frog Lady's hand, one of the engines exploded, sending (Y/N) flying back a couple of feet, landing flat on her back. The child let out a squawk, peering over the armrest to make sure she was okay.

She could see water surrounding the ship through the viewport as she pulled herself up, remaining seated on the floor. She took a few deep breaths before rubbing her back, shaking her head.

"Right," she grumbled. "Nice and easy, that's what that was."

***

After the rather bumpy landing, (Y/N) busied herself with gathering a few things together and making sure the kid was ready to go. Din, on the other hand, was nervously pulling her knife out of his belt. Her back was turned to him, fixing her cloak so it covered her lightsaber properly.

He tapped on her shoulder, and she turned around, raising her eyebrows at him in question with a small smile on her face.

"Din? Is everything alright?" she asked.

She glanced at his outstretched hand, revealing her knife sitting on it. He gently grabbed her hand, placing the knife in her hand. It clearly had been polished, the knife having a new shine to it than before. In fact, (Y/N) would go as far to say that he did a better job at polishing it than she did.

"Oh, thank you so much for polishing it, I appreciate it."

Din held his breath in anticipation as she continued turning the knife over, eyes darting to something on the hilt of it. She squinted at the symbol etched into the hilt before her gaze drifted back to Din, silently questioning what it was.

"You killed the spider using that knife. You saved the kid, a very noble first kill," he began, and (Y/N) heard him take a deep breath. "You would have earned your signet if you were a Mandalorian." He briefly gestured to the Mudhorn symbol on his armor. "The point is, even though I've considered you to be part of my clan for a while, I never told you I did."

(Y/N) smiled softly at him. "You didn't have to tell me Din, you show me every day through your actions."

"But I wanted to tell you. I wasn't sure about you coming with us initially, given the situation. But I don't—I don't think I can imagine you not being here at this point. I thought it made sense, right now, to make you being part of our clan an official thing."

"So—So this means—Din, this officially means I'm..." she trailed off.

"Part of my clan, yes," he concluded.

(Y/N) stared at the knife in awe briefly, but her expression faded into something resembling a frown. She looked up at him.

"Din, this is—this is lovely, and I'm honored, but I don't know if I know can accept this..."

Din's heart sank at the sound of her words. Had he read the situation wrong this whole time? He nearly began sputtering an apology of some sort when (Y/N) continued speaking. She must have noticed the way he tensed up.

"No, no, not for the reason you think. I—I'm honored to be a part of your clan, I really, truly am. But the spider wasn't my first kill with this knife."

Din relaxed briefly before registering what (Y/N) had said.

"What do you mean?"

(Y/N) stepped back so she could properly look up at him, twirling the knife in her hand.

"That wasn't my first kill with this knife."

Then, she proceeded to tell him what had happened.

A little time after Din had given her the knife was when he had to leave. He had a serious client coming up, the one that would lead to him finding the kid in the first place.

 (Y/N) hadn't seen Din in a little while, starting to grow worried by his absence. Just as she was about to lock up, he had come in, his demeanor somewhat tense. She nearly flashed him a smile, but realized something must have been wrong. He approached the bar, drumming his finger son the counter as she stared up at him.

"Want to tell me what's going on?" she asked, brows raised.

He sighed, sitting down on the stool across from her. "I'll be gone for a while."

(Y/N) frowned. "Again? I mean, you're typically gone for a while. Is this time any different?"

Din was quiet, which only concerned (Y/N) more. Yes, he was typically a man of few words, but with her, he was never completely silent. Her expression shifted into one of recognition.

"Ah, a more serious client this time," she said.

"They're all serious."

It was her turn to sigh. "You know what I mean, Mando." She walked to the other side of the counter, taking a seat next to him, their knees barely touching.

"Yeah, it's a serious one," Din replied.

(Y/N) smiled at him. "Lots of credits?"

"Lots of credits." He shifted in his stool. "Beskar."

(Y/N)'s eyes widened slightly at that. And, even if neither of them said it out loud, they knew that a very serious client meant...he'd be gone for a long time, probably a longer time. At this point, Din knew about her well enough to know that even though she'd been safe so far, there was no telling where she might be when he eventually returned.

She might have to leave. She could be captured.

She could be...killed.

And if that happened, would he back in time?

"So," (Y/N) began, clearing her throat. "What did the client's place look like? Where was it?"

"Mesh'la, if I tell you—"

"I know, I know, it potentially puts me at risk," she replied with the slight shake of her head. "I was just wondering. Besides, technically I'm already at risk. Surely a little more information couldn't hurt."

Din tilted his helmet down at her, clearly not amused.

"Sorry, sorry, that wasn't funny."

Din sighed, glancing around the bar.

"Do you really want to know?"

"I mean, yes, I would like to know. Just in case I need to come rescue you," she answered, smiling at him. "Because, even though it sounds like I'm kidding, I will quite literally come rescue you if I have to."

She laughed when Din lightly nudged her in the side.

"It's on Nevarro, where the Bounty Hunter's Guild is located," he told her.

(Y/N) nodded, eyebrows furrowed when she noticed the way his helmet tilted downward, facing the countertop instead of her. She knew there was something else he wasn't tell her. But at this point, she really wanted to know.

"What else?" she asked. "Clearly there's something else.

The Mandalorian drummed his fingers on the countertop again.

"Stormtroopers."

(Y/N) froze, heart sinking as a mixture of fear and anger coursed through her body. Her hands trembled in her lap. She flinched and Din stood up abruptly when one of the bar's lights went out, shards of glass falling to the floor. She stared at the damage with wide eyes before hopping down from the stool, taking a deep breath. She felt a firm hand on her lower back.

"That was odd," he said softly, glancing down at her. "Are you okay?"

When (Y/N) turned back around, her expression was dark, and mildly fearful as her gaze landed on him.

"Why—Why were there stormtroopers?" she whispered, taking a step back. "And why would you be working for them? I—" Her breath hitched. "You know they've been looking for me."

"I know."

She narrowed her eyes. "Then why would you be working for them? Are you—" Her voice grew small. "Are you going to turn me in?"

(Y/N) couldn't see Din's expression, but under the helmet, his eyes had widened slightly at her question before it turned to something more sad.

"Mesh'la why would I ever turn you in? I—do you not trust me?"

(Y/N)'s shoulders slumped as she reached over to grab Din's gloved hand, giving it a quick squeeze.

"No, Mando, I do trust you. It's just—there are days where I feel fine and safe. Like the bar has finally become a place I can hide in, be almost normal in. But then, there are days where I get scared again, scared that they'll find me, and capture me, and kill me. They've tried before," she explained, blinking away unshed tears as she looked back up at him. "Today is one of those days...a day where I feel really, really scared."

Din squeezed her hand back, pulling her a tad bit closer.

"You still have the knife I gave you?"

(Y/N) nodded and then sniffed. "Yeah, of course I do." She turned her body slightly, revealing the knife now attached to her belt.

"If you feel scared again, while I'm gone, and if you're—" He paused. "If you're in danger, use that knife. "

(Y/N) nodded. "Though, I wouldn't say I'm a knife-weilding expert. You know that, Mando."

"I do. But if you're in danger, mesh'la then it doesn't matter. If it's the knife, use it. If you have to, use it. Just—" He paused once again. "Just stay safe."

(Y/N) smiled. "Sounds like you're just as worried about me as I am about you."

 The Mandalorian let out a quiet scoff, letting go of (Y/N)'s hands as he walked toward the door to head out once again. As his hand rested on the doorknob, he turned around one last time.

"Be safe, mesh'la."

"You too, Mando."

And, it turns out, a few nights later, Din's words came back to her as she walked home. She knew someone was following her, and she knew something didn't feel right the moment she had locked up for the night.

So, instead of going straight home, she took a detour, her hand hovering closer to the knife as she walked. Whoever it was must have thought they were being clever, darting in and out of the shadows. But she knew better, and they were messing with the wrong person.

The day had been long and tiring, and though any day would have been the wrong time to follow her, today was especially the wrong day. So, when the hair on the back of her neck stood up, she whirled around as the person lunged at her.

She ducked down, dodging their attack before she popped up again.

The attack had been too quick for her to consider using the Force.

When they lunged again, (Y/N) was too fast for them, maneuvering to wrap her arms around their neck and pull them back.

They struggled for a moment before managing to toss her to the side. That's when her hand reached for the knife, pulling it out of her belt.

When they came at her a third time, (Y/N) tightly gripped the knife, dodging them. With their back turned, she acted quickly, spinning around and stabbing the person in the side.

They fell to the floor, and (Y/N) stood by, chest rising and falling rapidly as she waited for another attack.

But there was none.

No response, no more attacks.

She took another step forward, reaching down to retrieve the knife from the attacker's back. And that's when she heard it...that dreaded beeping noise, the one that haunted her dreams on certain nights. 

From his pocket, she pulled out a tracking fob, and she could see the reward for finding her had gone up. She gripped it tightly, gritting her teeth as she threw it to the ground and crushed it under her boot.

"And after that, I made sure no one else was following me, and I went home. Didn't sleep too well that night," she said, twirling the knife once again in her hand. "But when I needed the knife, it provided me safety."

Din gently placed a hand on her cheek. "Mesh'la, why didn't you tell me about that?"

She shrugged, waving him off. "It happened, I ended up being fine. But I wanted to tell you now, because I feel like it isn't fair for you to do something so meaningful for me when it's not the first time."

A light chuckle was picked up through Din's vocoder, one of both amusement and relief.

"All that tells me...is that it should have happened sooner. I should have asked you sooner." He gently pressed his forehead against hers before pulling away.

 "Well, if that's the case," (Y/N) began, placing her knife back in her belt. "I am honored to be part of your clan." She smiled softly up at him. "And I will carry this with honor, Din."

And with that, she turned around, climbing down the ladder to meet the Frog Lady and the kid.

He hadn't told her.

It had been on the tip of his tongue, and yet, all he could do was watch her climb down the ladder and disappear. Typically, things didn't plague Din's mind, didn't make his head spin.

Who knew that knife he had given her would have helped her multiple times? One to save herself, and the other to save his child. Maybe he hadn't been there to keep her safe then, but in that moment, the knife had. Still, he didn't tell her all of it.

But the story she told was most certainly a loophole. It wasn't her first kill, and therefore, he didn't need to tell her it was also a sign of courting.

Right?

He shook his head. At this point, it was just an excuse. And technically, since her first kill had still been with the same knife, the sigil had been a long time coming. He would tell her what it meant eventually, he would.

But, next time, he would make sure. He'd give her something special, something made out of beskar with his sigil on it. That's what he would do. Then he would tell her.

If he remembered correctly, though she hadn't mentioned it in a while, her birthday was tomorrow. She didn't say anything about it, but he did remember that much. After they figured out where to find more Mandalorians, more of his kind, he would gift her something. She deserved it after all.

Still, for the time being, she said she was honored to be part of his clan, and honored to carry the knife with his sigil. That much meant a lot to him.

So, he sighed, shoulders slumping slightly before following (Y/N) down the ladder, who was waiting below with the Frog Lady and the kid. She briefly raised her eyebrows at him a question, tilting her head as if to ask if he was alright. He gave her a quick nod as he placed the child in his floating pram.

Then, they made their way down the ramp.

***

Ever since they landed—well, crash landed on Trask, (Y/N) had felt off, queasy, her stomach churning and thoughts in her head racing.

Before the ramp had even lowered, she had thrown on her spare cloak, pulling the hood over her head and making sure her lightsaber was properly concealed.

As happy as she was to officially be a part of Din's clan, everything else wasn't sitting right with her. Whispers were being carried along the wind and straight to (Y/N), making her shiver.

You're here. You're here. This way. Come this way.

(Y/N) narrowed her eyes when she saw a figure donned in a black cloak standing amongst a stack of crates. But, in the blink of an eye, they had vanished, leaving (Y/N) to wonder if she had imagined it. A hand grabbed her arm, and she snapped her gaze to Din, trying to calm her breathing.

"I've been calling over to you for a minute now," Din said, his hand moving to her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

(Y/N)'s eyes flicked back to the crates, and then the water, eyebrows knitting together slightly before her expression relaxed when she turned back to Din.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she replied, her voice sounding meeker than she would've liked.

Clearly, Din had noticed it too, because his body language indicated that he didn't believe what she was saying. Still, he merely nodded, giving her shoulder a quick squeeze before letting go.

The Frog Lady waited ahead of them expectantly, adjusting the egg container as she looked around, calling out a few times. (Y/N) peered around too, hoping to help her find her husband in the crowd.

A deeper croak called out from the other side of the dock. The Frog Lady happily croaked in response, running to a blue frog at the end of the dock. (Y/N) smiled softly, glancing at Din before turning back to watch the two of them reunite, gently pressing their foreheads together...

Huh, that looked familiar.

After a brief exchange of croaks and grunts, they admired their eggs. The kid on the other hand, let out a sad coo from his crib, ears drooping as he stared longingly at the egg container. (Y/N) noticed, smiling at him as she gently scratched the top of his head.

While Din and the Frog Lady's husband exchanged a brief conversation, (Y/N) felt slightly sick again, the whispers traveling to her once more. Din's voice and the Frog Man's voice faded into the distance. They too were mere whispers now.

She turned away from both of them, eyes scanning the crowds of people before they landed on stacks of crates once again. The cloaked figure wasn't there this time, but her attention still remained in that general direction.

Once again, Din's hand reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back as his voice became audible again.

"(Y/N)."

She glanced up at him, muttering a "sorry", but it was clear to him that her mind was elsewhere. He tilted his helmet down at her.

"You wandered off," he said.

(Y/N) frowned. "I did?"

Din's hand dropped from her arm, and she could tell her was observing her.

"What's wrong?"

(Y/N) briefly considered telling him what she heard and what she had seen, but it occurred to her that she barely knew herself. Yes, she would eventually explain it to him, but now didn't seem like the right time.

She shook her head. "Nothing's wrong." She smiled at him, but both of them knew it was forced. "What's the plan?"

"Well, the kid's hungry...again. We'll get both of you some food," Din replied. "Then, we'll find a place for you two to stay while I—"

(Y/N) cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes at him.

"We," Din corrected. "We'll find the Mandalorians."

(Y/N) smiled. "Thank you."

***

As they sat down inside to eat, and a bowl of food was placed in front of her, (Y/N) wasn't sure if she was hungry anymore. She was grateful she had eaten a ration pack not too long ago, because the bowl in front of her wasn't exactly appealing.

The stew, if you could call it that, looked like it was moving from where she sat. So, between the moving, suspicious stew, and the feeling that something wasn't quite right, (Y/N) didn't feel like eating. She'd find a ration pack later. She was sure the kid would want to eat again too.

She stared at the moving chowder one more time before glancing up at her armored friend. She took a deep breath, clenching and releasing her fists as she looked back down. Her mind began to wander...again.

The Quarren had approached their table, sitting down to discuss the Mandalorians. Meanwhile, the kid was focused on his own bowl, letting out a shrill squeak as a creature launched out of the bowl and attached to the kid's face.

"Don't play with your food," Din said dryly, knocking the creature back into the bowl.

The kid glanced at both of them in mild shock before leaning over to peek into his bowl again. (Y/N) stifled her laughter as she took the end of her cloak to wipe away the remaining chowder on his face.

When the Quarren left the table once again, (Y/N) made sure to flash him a quick smile, but it dropped as soon as his back was turn, and she narrowed her eyes. Something, many things around here didn't seem right. Din seemed to notice something was wrong, tilting his helmet in her direction.

"What is it?"

(Y/N)'s eyes remained on the door the Quarren had exited out of before turning back to Din, leaning back in her chair.

"I don't trust him."

"Neither do I. It's our best chance at the moment though." Din glanced down at (Y/N)'s bowl of uneaten soup. "You should eat before we go."

(Y/N) waved him off. "No, no, I'm fine. I had something when we were on the ship." She carefully pushed her bowl toward him. "I'm sure you need something though."

Din nudged the bowl away. "I had something when you were asleep."

(Y/N) arched her brow. "So, you're telling me that you haven't slept since we were stranded?" She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose before hopping up. "All I'm saying is, if I hear you yawn at all, I'm not going to feel too bad."

Din folded his arms, staring down at her in amusement.

"And if I hear your stomach growl, mesh'la?"

(Y/N) huffed, folding her arms as well. "Fine, fair enough." She shook her head, blushing slightly. "When you use that nickname, it makes my brain go all fuzzy, I lost my train of my thought."

She couldn't see of it course, but Din's brows had raised under his helmet at her small confession. However, all Din simply did was let out a light chuckle, gently nudging her toward the exit.

As they prepared to head out, (Y/N) couldn't help but dread what was to come. Deep down, she had a bad feeling something terrible was about to happen.

***

(Y/N) leaned against the railing of the ship, stomach churning as the waves rolled by. For some reason, she could handle Din's chaotic steering of the Razor Crest, and her own chaotic piloting of the X-Wing, but she couldn't handle the rocky ocean waves.

She knew the rolling waves weren't the only thing making her feel ill. Something was off, wrong, and she couldn't put a finger on what it was.

When she finally decided she wasn't going throw up, she returned to where Din and the kid were. Din carefully placed himself in front of (Y/N) and the child, separating them from the crew.

"You ever see a mamacore eat? Quite a sight," the Quarren said, though (Y/N) sensed something in the tone of his voice. "Child might take an interest."

A chill ran down her spine once the kid was mentioned, and she narrowed her eyes slightly as her hand slipped closer to the hilt of her lightsaber. It hovered there, just in case something happened.

"You should take a look, come closer," he said gesturing for the three of them to approach the center of the ship. "Come on over here, let the kid see."

(Y/N) watched warily as Din and the kid got closer to the center of the ship. She stayed a little ways back, hand still close to her lightsaber.

"Alright, close enough," Din said softly, stopping the floating cradle from getting any closer.

"There we go," the Quarren grunted, pulling on a rope to drop fish into the water.

(Y/N)'s eyebrows furrowed as bubbles began to rise from the water. Her nausea returned. Something wasn't right, something wasn't right. Her chest began to rise and fall more rapidly.

"She must be hungry. Oftentimes we'll feed her in the early morning, but we missed that 'cause we were goin' out of port!" The Quarren knocked the kid's cradle into the water and teeth rose out of the water, dragging the cradle back under.

"No!" Din yelled, diving in after the kid.

"Din!" (Y/N) screamed, rushing toward the center of the ship, only to be yanked back by one of the crew members. She struggled in his grasp. "Let go of me!"

"Lock it up! Go, go! Now!" the Quarren yelled, bars cutting off Din from escaping. "The beskar is ours!" Their cheering and laughter began to make (Y/N)'s blood boil as they kicked and struggled.

Din appeared at the surface, coughing and gasping for air as he grabbed the bars over his head.

"Drown him!"

The crew began jabbing Din with their spears through the bars, pushing him back under. As (Y/N) watched it as she struggled to get away, anger began to overwhelm her other senses. She went still in the crew mate's grip, glaring over her shoulder at him, flexing her right hand slightly.

The crew member dropped her suddenly, his hands clawing at his throat instead. Her focus remained, glaring at the crewmate as he gasped for air.

This is what she had been telling Din about, about that balance teetering over the edge, being tempted by a darker side of the Force. But this in the moment?

It felt right.

It felt powerful.

The moment Din and the kid were in danger, rage had flooded her body.

Blaster fire took down several crewmates, breaking (Y/N)'s focus. She blinked a couple of times to gain her bearings again.

The crewmate dropped to the floor beside her, coughing as he tried to catch his breath. (Y/N) backed away, calming her heartbeat as the sound of jetpacks filled the air.

The crew member's eyes landed on her, widening with rage.

"You—" he rasped, pulling himself to his feet. "What did you do you—" He lunged at her.

(Y/N) pulled out her blaster, managing to shoot him in the leg before he could get too close. He cried out, cursing to himself as (Y/N) backed away once more.

He turned to her again, about to lunge once more before another blaster shot him, and he slumped to the ground, motionless.

(Y/N) took another deep breath, eyes widening as she spotted a Mandalorian in blue armor not too far away, managing to mutter a surprised, yet grateful "thank you."

As blaster fire ceased and the crew members laid there motionless, (Y/N) scrambled forward and pushed the button they had used to trap Din. The bars opened up, and the Mandalorian in blue held out their hand to him.

"Take my hand."

She helped pull Din out of the water, and (Y/N) was immediately at his side. He found one of her hands, grabbing on tightly as she helped him sit down on one of the crates.

"There's a creature. It has the child," Din managed to get out between coughs.

(Y/N) squeezed his hand.

"On it!" one of the Mandalorians said, diving back into the water.

"The child, help the child."

Another Mandalorian nodded. "Don't worry brother, we've got this."

From where (Y/N) was crouched beside Din, she could hear the sound of blaster fire and the mamacore roaring, all the while holding her breath in anticipation. The Mandalorian soon launched back out of the water, the child's dented crib in her arms.

She ripped the panel off of the crib, both Din and (Y/N) sighing in relief when the child was revealed to be unharmed.

"Here you go, little one," the Mandalorian said softly, handing him over to Din.

Din pulled the kid close to his chest, calming his breathing, and between gasps for air, he managed to say, "thank you."

(Y/N) smiled down at the child before helping Din to his feet. The hilt of (Y/N)'s knife in her belt didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the Mandalorians.

"I've been searching for more of my kind," Din said, and suddenly, (Y/N) realized she should probably give them some space, but Din's hold on her hand remained tight, so she decided to stay close.

"Well, lucky we found you first," the Mandalorian who pulled him out of the water said.

"I've been quested to deliver this child. I was hoping that..." Din trailed off as the Mandalorians removed their helmets, and (Y/N)'s eyes widened. "Where did you get that armor?"

(Y/N) noticed the way Din's tone shifted once they had removed their helmets, less appreciative and more severe. The kid glanced between them and Din.

Once again, the woman who helped him out of the water was the first to speak. She had red hair and sharp features. She narrowed her eyes ever-so-slightly.

"The armor has been in my family for three generations," she said.

"You do not cover your face. You are not Mandalorian."

Collective groans and sighs filled the ship, the four of them shaking their heads.

"Dank farrik," the red headed woman sighed.

"He's one of them."

(Y/N) raised her eyebrows in question.

Din scoffed. "One of what?"

And frankly, (Y/N) was curious as to what they meant as well. One of what? Her eyes remained glued to the Mandalorian with red hair and intense gaze.

She glanced between the two of them before she sighed. "I am Bo-Katan of Clan Kryze. I was born on Mandalore and fought in the Purge. I am the last of my line, and you are a Child of the Watch."

"The Watch?" Din questioned.

"Children of the Watch are a cult of religious zealots that broke away from Mandalorian society. Their goal was to re-establish the ancient way," she explained.

"There is only one way. The Way of the Mandalore." And with that, Din gently guided (Y/N) to the edge of the boat, wrapping an arm tightly around her waist as the three of them flew away from the boat.

Not particularly enjoying the height, (Y/N) was quick to bury her face in the crook of Din's neck, still wondering what had happened to her back on the boat.

***

(Y/N) stared in awe at the sunset off in the distance, up until the point where the boat they had been on earlier exploded. She could see the faint silhouettes of the Mandalorians in the distance before she turned away, following Din from the dock.

She was still thinking about what had happened earlier when she had been attacked by one of the crewmates. It had been what she talked about with Din before, about being tempted by the darker side of the Force. She was usually so good at fighting it, but the moment she saw Din and the child in danger, it's like she had lost control.

She supposed that was what the Jedi Code had addressed, how strong attachments could lead to so many strong emotions. She shook her head, trying to ignore the heavy weight that had settled over her chest.

The three of them in were the process of finding a place to stay when a loud voice came from not too far off in the alleyway.

"Hey, you!"

(Y/N)'s head snapped in the direction of where the voice was. Din halted, pulling the child closer in his arms and nudged (Y/N) behind him. That was when she saw a Quarren come into view.

"You killed my brother."

Then, several more Quarrens surrounded them, drawing their blasters. At this point, (Y/N) wasn't even nervous or scared. If anything, she was mildly annoyed by the situation.

"Let me pass." Din's voice was calm, steady.

"I don't think you understand. You killed my brother, and now, I'm gonna kill your pet."

The child's ears drooped, letting out a whimper as he looked down. The sound of jetpacks filled the air was once more, and (Y/N)'s eyes landed on the Mandalorians from earlier.

Bo-Katan stepped forward. "He didn't kill your brother. I did."

(Y/N) barely registered what was happening before the Mandalorians took down each Quarren. They holstered their weapons once more, and (Y/N) let out a sigh, whether it was one of relief or exasperation, she didn't know.

Bo-Katan turned to them. "Can we at least buy you a drink?"

(Y/N) stood a few feet away from the table in which the rest of them sat, figuring it would be best to give them some space. She leaned against the wall of the inn, arms folded and anxiously tapping her foot against the floor.

"Trask is a black market port. They're staging weapons that have been bought and sold with the blunders of our planet," Bo-Katan explained. "We're seizing those weapons and using them to retake our home world."

(Y/N)'s brow arched at this.

"Once we've done that, we'll seat a new Mandalore on the throne."

Din sighed. "That planet is cursed. Anyone who goes there dies. Once the Empire knew they couldn't control it, they made sure no one else could either."

"Don't believe everything you hear. Our enemies want to separate us, but Mandalorians are stronger together," Bo-Katan replied, and then her eyes flicked over to (Y/N), glancing between the hilt of her knife and her face. The rest of the Mandalorians also turned to glance at her.

(Y/N) simply replied with a nervous smile, becoming mildly uncomfortable by the unexplained attention directed at her. Was she missing something here? She glanced over at Din, hoping he might be able to help her out, but he was the only one not looking in her direction.

"That's not part of my plan," he continued, nodding toward the child. "I've been quested with returning this child to the Jedi."

Bo-Katan's eyes narrowed slightly, glancing over at (Y/N) again. When (Y/N) realized she could see the hilt of her lightsaber, she was quick to conceal it with her cloak. Bo-Katan turned back to Din.

"What do you know of the Jedi?"

"Not much," Din replied. "Not enough."

(Y/N) furrowed more brows, even more so when she noticed the shared glances between the Mandalorians. Once again, was she missing something?

"I was hoping you'd help me by Creed," Din continued.

"I can lead you to one of their kind. But first, we need your help on our mission."

"Mission?" Din questioned before glancing over at (Y/N).

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Here we go again.